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This technical report provides an overview of the information available on pesticide concentrations in surface and groundwaters in EEA countries.
EEA’s Waterbase – Water Quality database contains the most reliable data available from across Europe. For the assessment, 180 pesticide substances were selected and characterised according to their usage, their Mode of Action (MoA), their chemical grouping, and their environmental quality standards (EQS) under consideration of the reported analytical limits of quantification (LOQ). The methods for the quality assurance of data, selection criteria and extraction, as well as the assignment of targets and calculation of exceedance rates under consideration of LOQ resulted in a unique database, and can be seen as a starting point on how to assess pesticide risk in surface waters and groundwater in Europe. EQS are based on European standards where available, and then on national EQS values (using the lowest value as a precautionary approach). The data suggest that for the period 2013 – 2017 for surface waters, 5 – 15 % of monitoring stations could be affected by herbicides and 3 – 8 % by insecticides. For groundwater the shares are about 7 % for herbicides and below 1 % for insecticides. Fungicides seem to be of lower importance.
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For groundwater, the "affection" is only related to the concentration exceedance of the drinking water limit of 0.1 µg/L
In our opinion this approach is scientifically incorrect.
It suggests that everything but the lowest EQS is not safe enough and only the lowest EQS is correct. It therefore undermines the authority of those institutions in member states that have set a higher EQS.
Furthermore this approach potentially generates misleading information as it will result in higher EQS exceedances than reported on the national level.
EQS exceedances should be calculated by considering the respective national EQS values.
It sholud be made clear what "affected" means in this context. Does it mean EQS exceedance? Does it mean exceedance of 0,1 µg/L for groundwater? Or does it mean "detected"?